“We will present our suspicions of authorship of this disgrace”, vows Rui Santos
Mayor Rui Santos has had enough. He tells a press conference that he has been the victim of an anonymous smear campaign for the past 12 years.
Anonymous complaints have been ‘received’ by public prosecutors in Vila Real (northern Portugal) here and there at salient political moments since 2013 – the latest having arrived very recently.
The complaints all run on the same kind of lines: Rui Santos is corrupt and surrounded by a cabal of councillors/ businesspeople and the like who are all focused on influence peddling schemes related to property deals, public procurement and/ or contracts with companies.
But the latest seven-page letter, going into all kinds of details, appears to have been ‘the last straw’. The Attorney General’s office has confirmed “receipt of this anonymous complaint (…) which is currently under investigation, and has no defendants”.
According to Mr Santos, “everything” in the document “is false. This time around he means to inform public prosecutors of whom he believes to be behind the smears/ “the authorship of this disgrace”, in other words. He referred in his press conference to “a party of cowards.
“I don’t want to and I’m not going to react to the accusations made against me”, he said, adding “none of them, I repeat, none of them are true. The possibility of referring to them would be to give them some credit that they don’t have”.
Rui Santos is hoping the “Public Prosecutor’s Office will investigate quickly, thoroughly and, as has happened in all previous situations, archive this product of hatred and madness“.
He added that “being mayor of Vila Real was, is and will be my priority and the greatest honour of my life (…) Unfortunately, however, the party of the cowards bet on the opposite, believing that I would be announced as the PS candidate (in the March legislative elections). They chose the date of the approval of the PS lists to massively disseminate a pamphlet that seeks to target a series of citizens and their families just because they committed the crime of being close to me, the PS or the council”, he said.
Contacted by Lusa this week, Rui Santos did not want to add anything to what he has already said. But he has written copiously over social media:
“I believe that transparency and legality are fundamental in any public administration, and it is therefore essential that all allegations are rigorously investigated. The Judicial Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office play a crucial role in this process, conducting comprehensive and impartial investigations to clarify the truth (I still very much want to believe that).
“However, it is equally important that citizens maintain their trust in these institutions.
“The credibility of the Judicial Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office is the pillar on which justice is built. Without the public’s trust, any decision, be it to dismiss, acquit or convict, runs the risk of being questioned.
“Furthermore, the role of the media cannot be underestimated. Television and other media have the capacity to inform the public in a balanced and responsible way. Sensationalism or the premature dissemination of unverified information can fuel suspicions and damage both the investigations and the reputations of those involved.
“I therefore call on citizens to wait for the results of the investigations (if any).
“I also call on the media to treat these cases with the seriousness and responsibility they deserve. Justice must prevail, and the truth must be our guide”.
Source material: LUSA/ Rui Santos’ Facebook
